


An Early Escape

by Chicken_Flakes_Writes



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: AU, Angst, Episode: e010-016 Murder on the Rockport Limited Parts 1-7, Gen, Lup Escapes the Umbrella AU, Memory Loss, Sad The Director | Lucretia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26073088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chicken_Flakes_Writes/pseuds/Chicken_Flakes_Writes
Summary: "He abruptly lands on the ground and he hears a crack.From where he is laying on the ground, Taako sees a grand burst of flame accompanied with a bang, and from the flame rises a figure. The figure floats there and as Taako looks closer he sees... himself? But no, thats not right. Hes here, not there, so why does this figure look like him?"When Taako jumps off of the Rockport Limited, he lands on his umbrella.It breaks.
Kudos: 12





	An Early Escape

“You just pushed a boy off of a moving train Taako!” Merle cried looking as Angus McDonalds rolled on the ground. Angus lays there for a second before he sits up and smiles, a gap in his teeth and two thumbs up.  
“He’s fine, see! He got two thumbs up.” Taako replied looking at Merle.  
“And he is two teeth down, Taako.” Magnus yells as he looks at the boy detective.  
“He’s fine.” Taako said, looking at the two of them, “Now whos next, its definitely almost time and we need to be gones-o.”  
“I’ll go, but take note I only have 1 hit point so I am gonna die.” Magnus says and then jumps off. Taako and Merle peeks towards him and he is just laying on his side, arms spread on the ground.  
“I’ll heal him.” Merle says as he jumps after Magnus.  
Taako yells towards him, “What did I just hear? Merle's gonna heal someone? Call the press, We have some news for you!” Taako says as he looks around, preps his umbrella, and then jumps. He begins casting the spell and just in the nick of time, the portal opens and the train flies through to Jenkins garden. Taako smiles at this but then he abruptly lands on the ground and he hears a crack.  
From where he is laying on the ground, Taako sees a grand burst of flame accompanied with a bang, and from the flame rises a figure. The figure floats there and as Taako looks closer he sees... himself? But no, that's not right. He's here, not there, so why does this figure look like him? He hears the figure say, “Taako, you threw a kid off a train!”  
Taako looks at this familiar or not familiar? figure and he says, “Who the fuck are you?”

The figure lowers as they say, “Taako, its me Lup.”  
“I don’t know anyone named Lup. And where did you come from anyway?”  
“The umbrella. I have been stuck in there for a long time.”  
Taako looks for the umbrella and sees it broken in two and cries, "My umbrella!'  
The figure, who apparently goes by Lup, says, "That's actually my umbrella but I don't want it anymore." as she looks around. She spots Magnus on the ground and Merle casting a healing spell. "Merle is actually healing someone! Quick, tell Lucretia so she can write this down in the journals. We don't wanna forget this. It has never happened before."  
Merle hears her say this, looks toward her, and says, "Oh come on! I heal more than any of you schmucks."  
“My grandpa’s silverware! It was still on the train.” Angus says.  
Taako looks toward him saying, “Your grandpa doesn’t need the silverware.”  
“But it was the one thing he asked for. He said, “Angus bring me my silverware. I want to see it one more time.” Now he is never gonna get to see it.”  
“Well, maybe he’ll be dead before you get there.” Taako says enthusiastically.  
“Maybe.” he says with a frown on his face.  
“Why would he want to see some silverware before he dies?” Lup asks.  
Angus shrugs, “He’s old. I don't question him.”  
Magnus slowly sits up, sees Taako talking to Angus and the Taako look alike floating nearby, and lies back down. "Merle, I'm seeing double. Your healing didn't work. Cast it again."  
“Magnus, you are not the only one seeing double.” Merle says as he looks back and forth between the two elves.  
Lup looks at all three of them and questions, “Seriously, none of you know who I am? We have spent so much time together. Taako, we are each other. “  
Taako looks at his sister, (and he can’t believe he has a sister. He's been alone all his life but he has a sister? Why doesn't he know her? Where has she been before the umbrella? Why was trapped in his umbrella?) and as he spends more time here, with her, he gets a sense of familiarity. “I don’t know what's happening. I still don't know you, but you feel familiar. Maybe the Director will know something.”  
Merle responds, “Yeah probably. But for now, I guess we just walk to the station. We can probably be picked up from there.”  
They all agree, and Taako goes to help Magnus. Magnus may be alive, but he certainly is not 100% because he definitely can't walk right now. Merle really is a crappy healer.  
The five of them began walking, well 3 walking, 1 limping, and 1 floating, towards the train station. When they arrive at the station, everyone is staring at them. They are a ragtag group with one who is a ghostly figure, one is limping and looks inches from death, a child, a dwarf, and an elf with two halves of an umbrella.  
“Well, I gotta go. That was a tough mystery, even for me!” Angus says.  
“I would say we helped.” Taako responds.  
“Uh, yeah I guess. Thanks.”  
Angus starts to walk away but Taako says,”Hey kid, I’ve got something for you.”  
Angus looks towards Taako as the elf pulls out three silver forks from his pocket. “You got my grandpa’s silverware?”  
“Well, I got some of it.”  
“Not the whole set? I don’t think my grandpa would be very happy to see just the forks.”  
“That's all I got. I’m not a magic worker.”  
“Actually...:”  
“Okay, I am a magic worker, but not, well, I’m busy. Can't get the rest.”  
“Well, if you ever need help with another mystery, you can call on Angus McDonald.” he says as he hands Taako a business card. On the card it says Angus McDonald, Boy Detective, and a link to his chainlinkedin.  
“What’s so special about that silverware?” Lup asks. Taako quickly turns to look at her forgetting she was there, and he nonchalantly says, “I have no fucking clue Lulu.” Taako turns to see Merle leaning over Magnus, helping him get more HP back. He misses the sad smile on Lup’s face when he called her Lulu.  
Magnus is sitting up and tapping on his gauntlet. Taako assumes he is calling the sphere to them so they can get back to the bureau.  
Taako goes to sit with them and Lup follows.  
Lup asks the three of them, “How do yall know each other?”  
They reply at the same time, “Craig’s List.”  
“You met through Craig’s List? Isn't that how you get murdered?”  
Magnus replies, “Not us! We survived.”  
“Yeah, we are not murderers.” Merle adds.  
Taako murmurs under his breath so nobody can hear, “Just don't mention Phandalin or Glamour Springs.”  
The four of them continue sitting until they see a big glass sphere descend from the sky.  
“There’s our ride!” Merle says.  
The four of them pile in and it is a bit of a tight squeeze, but soon enough they are going back to base.  
In the hangar waiting for them is Avi, the director, and two other people who immediately took the grand relic and took it to be destroyed. One by one, each of the reclaimers exit the sphere, with Lup exiting last. Lup looks around and then sees the Director.  
“Lucretia!” she yells.  
The director looks toward the fourth person whose voice she recognized, and surprised, says, “Lup?! Is that really you?”

“Lucretia, it really is me.”  
“Your name is Lucretia!” Magnus yells in surprise.  
“Magnus, please use your inside voice.” the director says with her hands on the side of her head after his outburst. “Yes, my name is Lucretia.”  
“Lucy, what is happening? They didn’t know your name! They don’t remember me. Taako doesn't remember me!”  
“I know, it's a lot, but it's a long story. We can go over it in my office.”  
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but Taako would really like some answers. And it looks like there is only one person who can give them to us currently.” and he looks pointedly at Lucretia.  
“Very well then. If you all would just follow me, and I’ll explain everything.”  
The group began following Lucretia to her office, and Lup got lost in thought. Where was Barry? And Davenport? Are they here, or somewhere else? Are they even still alive? Why don’t Magnus and Merle remember? Why doesn’t Taako remember her? What happened while she was in the umbrella? What did she miss?  
Before she knew, Lup and the rest of her friends arrived at Lucretia's office. Lup can't help but look around and see how spacious it is but also how minimalist it is. In the center of the back wall is a desk with an ornate chair behind it. The desk is well organized and has one notebook open on it as well as a fountain pen. Behind the desk on the wall is a large portrait of Lucretia as the Director dressed in ornate blue robes with a staff in hand. Lup can't help but notice that she looks so lonely in the painting.  
In front of the desk are a few chairs for guests to sit in and in the far left of the room is a small sitting area with a tea set on the coffee table. Lup doesn't see anything else in the room. Lup cant help but compare the Director's office to her work space on the Starblaster. On the Starblaster, Lucretia had her notebooks everywhere, and it was an organized mess. But here, it is nothing like that.  
Lucretia leads them towards the desk and Lup adds that to her mental notes about this new Lucretia that she does not know.  
Magnus, Merle, and Taako sit in the three chairs and Lup floats behind them while Lucretia sits behind her desk.  
Lup asks, “Lucretia, what happened? To you? To them?” she motions towards the three sitting forms, “and where are Barry and Davenport?”  
“Lup, it's a long story. And a difficult story for me to tell and for all of you to hear. Are you sure you want to know?”  
“Lucy, I need to know.”  
Lucretia closes her eyes, takes and deep breath and begins, “Back when we were on the Starblaster, we were nearing the end of the 100th year. Lup, at this point you were gone. You left your note, the one that said ‘Be back soon’ and Taako and Barry waited, but you didn’t come back. So they started searching. They couldn’t find you.  
“While they were searching, I was forming my own plan. We had the voidfish and all of our relics were wreaking havoc on the world. I had to stop it. I had to.” Lucretia’s eyes are wet with unshed tears, and she struggles to say the part. “I fed my journals, all of the ones from our time on the Starblaster, to the voidfish. I made them forget. I did this to them. I only wanted what was best for them.”  
Before Lup gets a chance to say anything, Taako says, “Cha’boy only got like, half of that Lucretia. I’m sure it's true for these other two chucklefucks here.” Magnus and Merle nod in agreement.  
“Oh Taako. I’m sorry. I can fix this. But not yet. The time isn't right. Soon. I hope. I never meant for it to take so long.” she says with a choked sob. She is hugging her arms around herself and is curling forward so her head is almost touching her desk.  
Lup is staring at her, and with concern in her voice, says, “Lucy, where is Barry and Davenport?”  
“I don't know where Barry is. I never could find him. I have never stopped looking. I can only hope that he is alive somewhere or is at least in his lich form. If he is a lich, he remembers everything.  
“And Davenport,” she pauses, letting out another choked sob, “everything he has ever done was so tied to the mission, that when I erased his memories, he became but a shell of his former self. I kept him close, I took care of him. I still take care of him.” Shakily, she calls out, “Davenport!”  
At the call of his name, the gnome enters the room, saying “Davenport!”  
Lup looks at him and feels her heartstrings tug. He looks the same, dressed in formal wear, but he feels so different. He carries himself differently. The confidence that he has always had as their captain is gone, and in his place, is this gnome that she barely dares call her captain.  
Davenport, not receiving any directions, goes back through the door that came from.  
Sorrow fills her voice as Lup says, “Oh Lucy.” Lup floats towards her and tries to give her a hug, but her arms only go through her. Lup desperately wishes she has her body so she can comfort Lucretia as the sobs she was holding back come out full force and she sobs into her knees.  
From the other side of the desk, Lup hears a cough and she looks towards the source of the noise.  
She finds Magnus, Merle, and Taako sitting awkwardly in their chairs and looking everywhere but towards the crying Director. Taako turns towards her and says, “So, what do we do now?”  
Everyone looks at each other and simply shrug, not knowing what their next step will be.


End file.
